Photos/poster by Alisha Doherty
A YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM
a creative response to youth mental health challenges
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Schools, TAFE, Universities, Outdoor Education Centres, Youth Justice programs & Indigenous Education
throughout 2026-2027
One life lost every 2.5 hours. We need to talk about it.
Behind every statistic is a family forever changed.
Schools, TAFE, Universities, Outdoor Education Centres, Youth Justice programs & Indigenous Education
throughout 2026-2027
One life lost every 2.5 hours. We need to talk about it.
Behind every statistic is a family forever changed.
A fast-paced, music-fueled, no-holds-barred depression comedy experience.
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Poignant, unpretentious and uplifting,
STILL HERE is a little show with a whole heap of heart.
STILL HERE is a little show with a whole heap of heart.
Theatre Travels - The Butterfly Club, Melbourne
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Dave Houston did the impossible – he made a feel-good show about depression. Part funny and sad, serious and silly, the performance is based on Dave’s own experiences but through his vivid imagination, strong performance and great music, he’s turned it into theatre we can all relate to.
M.P, Kundalini Yoga House - The Wesley Ann, Melbourne
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Oh my god. You got me, you bugger. I’ve been on Sertraline (an antidepressant) for 6 years. I haven’t cried in that time, but you got me tonight. What you did up on that stage was amazing!
M.J. - Jetty Theatre, Coffs Harbour
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STILL HERE is raw, funny and deeply moving, with cracking original songs.
A moving and relatable piece of theatre about mental health.
A moving and relatable piece of theatre about mental health.
Samantha, Loss & Grief Community Education Manager - The Wesley Ann, Melbourne
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This amazing show will take you on a roller coaster of emotions!
At one point I was laughing so hard I thought I might snort! At another point my heart ached as I wept for a dear friend who suffered from mental health trauma and took her own life. This performance is a must see!
At one point I was laughing so hard I thought I might snort! At another point my heart ached as I wept for a dear friend who suffered from mental health trauma and took her own life. This performance is a must see!
Julia, Police PCYC - 303 Venue, Melbourne
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STILL HERE is an awesome show. Dave manages to make us laugh with glorious idiocy and play and then bam hit us deep in the heart and soul. It's an incredibly moving, powerful show that boldly unpacks mental illness. It is funny and hopeful and inspiring storytelling at its finest.
C.V. - 303 Venue, Melbourne
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A very personal and heart filled journey that had me laughing, singing, feeling and even shedding a tear. Dave is a captivating story teller and I appreciated his willingness to be vulnerable and raw. His story is an important one that needs to be told, if only to make just one person feel less alone on their own mental health journey....but I am sure there will be many who will benefit from this show.
M.P. - Narooma, NSW
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The production Still Here by Dave & the Daves is a very clever, funny journey that explores mental health. It's messages of connection and communication, especially for boys, is clearly delivered through all the characters and songs. I highly recommend this engaging piece of theatre.
J Marcus, Principal - Byron Bay High School
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'The production STILL HERE by Dave & the Daves is a very clever, funny journey with great songs that explores mental health.
It's messages of connection and communication, especially for boys, is clearly delivered through all the characters and songs.
I highly recommend this engaging piece of theatre.' Ms Janine Marcus. - Principal | Byron Bay High School
It's messages of connection and communication, especially for boys, is clearly delivered through all the characters and songs.
I highly recommend this engaging piece of theatre.' Ms Janine Marcus. - Principal | Byron Bay High School
Show highlights reel - Byron Bay Theatre, May 2024 An example below of the Post-Show Mental Health Suicide Prevention and Awareness Forum
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STILL HERE by Dave & the Daves
STILL HERE by Dave & the Daves is a depression comedy and far more than just a play; It's a 60-minute lifeline on stage that champions mental health through laughter, music, and the art of storytelling.
Houston skillfully weaves together comic characters, vulnerable stories, elements of clown, live songs and a dose of stand-up, all exploring his personal raw truths about navigating life with depression. The music crosses several genres, from punk to hip-hop, psyched-up folk to garage rock, and grunge to the sweetest lullaby.
STILL HERE features a cast of characters, each with a variation of the name Dave. There’s showbiz veteran Uncle David, whose career is now largely confined to Far North Queensland golf clubs; bumbling work-for-the-dole stage manager Davo; charismatic hip-hop star Rave Dave; Byron Bay life coach Davidae Uluru Crystal Rising; Union Rep - Davey; inner-city street poet DFA — that's D for Dave; Bitcoin trillionaire Davology; and clinical psychiatrist Dr Darvid Darvid.
Unlike the Dr Seuss poem Too Many Daves, this show has just the perfect number.
Holding them all together is the real Dave, with stories of drama school, acting, depression, medication, love, loss and life.
The result is a fast-paced, music-fuelled, no-holds-barred depression comedy experience — raw, funny, vulnerable and full of heart.
Houston skillfully weaves together comic characters, vulnerable stories, elements of clown, live songs and a dose of stand-up, all exploring his personal raw truths about navigating life with depression. The music crosses several genres, from punk to hip-hop, psyched-up folk to garage rock, and grunge to the sweetest lullaby.
STILL HERE features a cast of characters, each with a variation of the name Dave. There’s showbiz veteran Uncle David, whose career is now largely confined to Far North Queensland golf clubs; bumbling work-for-the-dole stage manager Davo; charismatic hip-hop star Rave Dave; Byron Bay life coach Davidae Uluru Crystal Rising; Union Rep - Davey; inner-city street poet DFA — that's D for Dave; Bitcoin trillionaire Davology; and clinical psychiatrist Dr Darvid Darvid.
Unlike the Dr Seuss poem Too Many Daves, this show has just the perfect number.
Holding them all together is the real Dave, with stories of drama school, acting, depression, medication, love, loss and life.
The result is a fast-paced, music-fuelled, no-holds-barred depression comedy experience — raw, funny, vulnerable and full of heart.
Post-show event - 'Let's start the conversation'
Suicide Prevention and Awareness Forum
Following the show, audiences are invited to stay for an optional Q&A and conversation facilitated by Dave, who is studying a Master of Gestalt Therapy and has previously spent a decade working as an artist-in-residence with the Royal Children’s Hospital’s Festival for Healthy Living, as part of its Integrated Mental Health Unit. The post-show provides a safe space where audience members can ask or say anything publicly. It’s a place to learn, grieve, reflect, connect, find support, share, or simply listen. It’s a space for authentic dialogue and kindness as we seek to better understand what is happening in our communitiy.
At some performances, the forum expands to include a panel of mental health professionals such as First Nations Elders in Australia and Māori in Aotearoa, psychologists, youth mental health specialists, wellbeing experts.
Against the background of a society in which depression and suicide represent a critical health emergency, With around nine deaths by suicide every day in Australia — approximately one every 2.5 hours — and suicide the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15–44. New Zealand has the highest youth suicide rate in the OECD. It is important that we create safe environments where people can talk openly about mental health and suicide.
The show starts the conversation, the post-show opens that conversation to everyone, including suicide prevention and building protective factors for positive mental health. Come share your experience, get support, or learn how to better support someone you care about.
These conversations offer meaningful pathways to connection - it is the heart of this project: creating a space where the hardest and most painful conversations about suicide can happen safely, honestly and with compassion—keeping people connected and, ultimately, alive.
Who is Dave Houston
A performer, theatre maker, musician, teacher and activist who has a lived experience of mental health challenges from his early 20's. He has been acting and writing songs since he was 15. He took his first solo show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has made 6 studio albums and created theatre works for festivals, schools, communities performing around the world. About Dave Houston
Following the show, audiences are invited to stay for an optional Q&A and conversation facilitated by Dave, who is studying a Master of Gestalt Therapy and has previously spent a decade working as an artist-in-residence with the Royal Children’s Hospital’s Festival for Healthy Living, as part of its Integrated Mental Health Unit. The post-show provides a safe space where audience members can ask or say anything publicly. It’s a place to learn, grieve, reflect, connect, find support, share, or simply listen. It’s a space for authentic dialogue and kindness as we seek to better understand what is happening in our communitiy.
At some performances, the forum expands to include a panel of mental health professionals such as First Nations Elders in Australia and Māori in Aotearoa, psychologists, youth mental health specialists, wellbeing experts.
Against the background of a society in which depression and suicide represent a critical health emergency, With around nine deaths by suicide every day in Australia — approximately one every 2.5 hours — and suicide the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15–44. New Zealand has the highest youth suicide rate in the OECD. It is important that we create safe environments where people can talk openly about mental health and suicide.
The show starts the conversation, the post-show opens that conversation to everyone, including suicide prevention and building protective factors for positive mental health. Come share your experience, get support, or learn how to better support someone you care about.
These conversations offer meaningful pathways to connection - it is the heart of this project: creating a space where the hardest and most painful conversations about suicide can happen safely, honestly and with compassion—keeping people connected and, ultimately, alive.
Who is Dave Houston
A performer, theatre maker, musician, teacher and activist who has a lived experience of mental health challenges from his early 20's. He has been acting and writing songs since he was 15. He took his first solo show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has made 6 studio albums and created theatre works for festivals, schools, communities performing around the world. About Dave Houston
‘You’ll struggle to find a more engaging theatrical solo performer at the Fringe than Dave Houston.’ - The Scotsman - ★★★★☆
The Scotsman, Edinburgh Fringe Festival - 1994
Statistics referenced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, Health New Zealand,
UNICEF New Zealand,and the World Health Organization / International Association for Suicide Prevention.
UNICEF New Zealand,and the World Health Organization / International Association for Suicide Prevention.
If there's immediate danger, call 000 in Australia or 111 in Aotearoa New Zealand.
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The video above is from a general public wellbeing and suicide prevention forum. Youth forums are generally more informal. This video provides an approximate guide to what a Youth Wellbeing Forum looks like.
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